Robin Marlar
Robin Geoffrey Marlar was an English cricketer and cricket journalist. He was educated at Harrow School and Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Marlar played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, winning a blue in 1951, 1952 and 1953, and for Sussex between 1951 and 1968. An innovative off-break bowler, he took 970 wickets in 289 matches at an average of 25.22, with a personal best of 9/46 against Lancashire at Hove in 1955. He was a "shrewd and skilful" captain of Sussex between 1955 and 1959. He remains one of only five native-born cricketers to hold this post.
He had a successful journalistic career as an outspoken cricket correspondent of The Sunday Times, and wrote the illustrated history The Story of Cricket.
Marlar stood as a Conservative candidate for Bolsover in the 1959 General Election, and in a 1962 by-election at Leicester North East. Decades later he was a candidate at the 1993 Newbury by-election. He was appointed as the President of Sussex County Cricket Club for 2005 and President of MCC for 2005-06. During this time he incurred some controversy when, on a declaration to the Sunday Telegraph, he described it as "absolutely outrageous" that female athletes play cricket with male athletes, in response to Holly Colvin and Sarah Taylor, who had both played for England, being chosen to play for Brighton College's First XI that summer.
